"Jangseung totem poles" Customs & Oddities Tip by mke1963

In days gone by, every village in Korea was protected by guardian deities, who watched over the entrance to the village as totem poles, beautifully carved from wood or stone. Even today, big towns and cities retain these protective icons and their presence is a charming reminder of Korean folk customs.
The upper part of the pole or post is a face, either human or spiritual, while the lower part has a statement in Chinese script, or occasionally in the Hangeul Korean script. Originally, the choice of wood or stone as the material would depend upon the availability of local materials suitable for use.
The totem poles have different names in different areas – Buksu, Bubsu, Dolharubang – but all fulfil the same purpose. Similarly, the posts are of different sizes but are genrally bigger than human-size so as to scare off intruders.
Those posts topped by a spirit face can be recognised by the distorted tortured faces, designed to frighten, with round bulging eyes, thick lips and protruding curved teeth. The human-faced posts have simpler, stylised local faces, designed more to welcome, but still with the purpose of reminding wrongdoers that they are being watched.
These roadside village guardians are always found in pairs, so that one could sleep while the other watched the road for strangers and attackers.
Today, the jangseung can be seen in many museums and even in public parks, and the outdoor area of the National Folk Museum in Seoul has a collection of them from different regions and showing different styles through the regions and ages of Korea.
Long ago, as you approached a village in the dark, the rain pouring around you, the wind whistling in the trees, the presence of the janseung as you arrived at your destination would be either a comfort and a sign of arrival, or an eery, scary warning not to enter, depending upon your intent.